Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Sy-on Boy threw up in class today.” Anya announced while she worked on her homework. “It got all over the place and was really gross.” Twilight furrowed his brows, putting down his newspaper. If Damian was sick, then it would put the Friendship Scheme on hold. On the other hand, maybe if Anya made a get-well-soon card, it would put her on better terms with him.

“I hope he feels better soon.” Yor said, spraying down the counter. “I remember when Yuri was small, he would get sick around this time of year. Make sure to wash your hands very well, Miss Anya.”

Franky had similar thoughts when Twilight visited him. “Oh, gross! Everybody knows that kids are little germfests. Hope you’re ready to play nurse.”

“You’re being ridiculous. Only one kid got sick.”

“One kid for now,” he said with an evil grin. “But when one gets sick, the whole class is doomed to follow. How close did you say her desk was to his?” Twilight rolled his eyes and picked up the dossier. There was no chance of Anya getting sick. He had made sure that she was given similar vaccinations that WISE agents took to boost her immunity, her diet was full of health-boosting vitamins, and they were keeping everything in the home clean. He had learned a lot on how to prevent disease at the hospital, and was implementing all of it. It wouldn’t happen.

Anya got sick. It was actually embarrassing how long it took for him to notice. She had seemed groggy when she got home, but he had brushed it off as her being worn out from school. He let her rest in her room while he cooked the roast. Everything was fine until Bond started whining and scratching at her door, clearly upset. Loid approached the door and knocked gently. “Anya? Are you okay?”

He listened at the door. Inside was the faint sound of crying. And then, loud retching. “Anya!” He burst into the room to the sight and smell of a puddle of vomit, and Anya lying on the floor, her face pale.

“Papa…” she looked up at him with big, teary eyes. “I feel really gross.” He scooped her up into his arms, taking care to avoid the vomit.

“It’s okay. Let’s get you washed up and give you some medicine.” He carried her into the bathroom, and began running the tub. Once he got her set up in the bath (with plenty of bubbles), he had to pause. He didn’t really have any experience with caring for a sick person. The agency took a lot of care to keep the agents as healthy as was physically possible in their field, and in the rare instance that someone did get sick, they were taken care of by doctors. The last time that someone he knew got sick was probably…

“Papa, I’m going to throw up again.” Anya warned. He quickly scooped her up and held her over the toilet bowl.

By the time Yor arrived, both of them were exhausted. It had only been a short while, but it felt like an eternity to Loid. “Oh, Miss Anya! Are you okay?”

“She came down with the same stomach bug the rest of her class has been catching.” Anya was bundled up in a thick towel, looking much smaller than usual. “I hate to impose upon you, Yor, but it sounds like you’ve had practice taking care of sick people.” Yor nodded, a determined expression coming across her face.

“Loid, cook her some light soup while I get her dressed. Also, put some old towels and blankets on the couch.” He saluted her, and began the tasks. Everything in the apartment was basically brand new, so he just took the fabrics that he liked the least and piled them into a cozy nest for Anya before simmering some bone broth on the stove. The air filled with a salty, meaty aroma.

“Loid?”

“Yeah?”

“Could you bring over the barf bowl?”

Twilight did a double take at that statement. “The what?”

“You know, the bowl that you use when someone’s sick.” He froze. He was completely unfamiliar with this concept. There was a vague memory in his mind of curling up with a large bowl as a child, but only that one time. Usually when someone was sick in the military, they just camped out by the toilets or threw up in the dirt. And with WISE, the situation was only marginally better, unless it was bad enough to go to the sick bay. A bowl? The bowls they had in the kitchen were pretty nice. He didn’t want to use one of those, and forever be cursed with the knowledge that it was tainted with sick.

“Loid?”

“Sorry, Yor, I must have thrown it out by mistake last spring cleaning. If you want, I can go buy a new one at the store. Or we could just use a beach pail.”

“That’ll work.” Crisis averted. With that, Yor carried Anya into the living room. The little girl was asleep in her pajamas, cheeks hot and flushed.

“Is she alright?”

“Just fell asleep. Being sick takes a lot of energy, especially since she’s so little.” Twilight had to agree. She was such an incredibly tiny girl, closer to the physical milestones for a four-year old instead of six. Maybe she had been born premature? The malnutrition from the orphanage definitely didn’t help with her weight. He bustled over to the kitchen and poured the warm broth into a mug.

“Anya, wake up. I’ve got something for you to drink.” She blearily opened her eyes.

“My tummy hurts.”

“Well, if it hurts too much, then you don’t have to drink all of it. Also, if you have to throw up, throw up in this.” He handed her a little blue beach pail. She nodded solemnly before drinking a few mouthfuls of the broth.

“I’m sorry I have to miss school, Papa.” Wet tears began to roll down her eyes. “Anya should have tried more to not get sick.” For what felt like the hundredth time, his heart clenched with guilt at his use of such a young child for this mission. Twilight had signed up for the danger and stress. Anya had not. She didn’t ask to get involved in spy work and politics. It wasn’t fair that the fate of East and West rested on a six-year old’s grades and social skills.

“Just focus on getting better.” was all he could think to say. After drinking a bit more of the broth, she slipped back into sleep.

“Loid, if you don’t mind, I think we should sleep in shifts tonight. We can switch off every three hours?” Yor suggested. He nodded in agreement. It was a good idea. Three hours was a good shift rotation too, one that he had used on long-term missions.

“That’ll work. If you don’t mind, I’ll take the first shift now. Go rest up, and I’ll wake you if there’s an emergency.” Yor hesitated a moment, before nodding in agreement and rushing off to her room. With both girls resting, Twilight closed the curtains and turned off the lights, letting the dim evening light filter through the living room. The room felt eerie and cold, despite the fact that the radiator was in excellent working condition.

Maybe working on some files would calm his mind.

In the morning, Anya was still sick. Even worse, her nose was congested with mucus. Her sinuses must have been getting irritated. “If you don’t mind watching her, Yor, I’m thinking of heading to the pharmacy to grab some medication.”

“Of course!” Yor bowed several times. “Maybe I’ll give Miss Anya another bath to wash off the sweat.” The little girl stirred at her name, groaning. Her face was still flushed with fever. She blinked open crud-covered eyes.

“Papa? Where is Papa going?”

“I’m going to go get medicine. It’ll make you feel better.” She pulled the most miserable expression that he had ever seen on a human face.

“Does Anya have to go to the doctor? Are they going to go all choppy-chop?” Loid knelt down next to her, addressing her on her level.

“You’re not sick enough to require a doctor at this point. And if you did, they would explain everything that they would do to you first. Remember when we went to my workplace?” She nodded. “The job of a doctor, whether they’re trying to fix the body or mind, is to be someone that the patient can trust. Honesty is a big part of that.” And if any sketchy doctors tried to operate on anyone without permission, I’d get their licenses revoked and their jobs sabotaged immediately. Anya smiled faintly before curling up deeper into her blanket nest.

It was cold outside, frost curling its way across glass and metal as Twilight crossed Berlint. He picked up some stomach medicine at the pharmacy, then stopped by the grocer for more soup and tissues, before ending up outside Franky’s newspaper stand. This was not intentional.

“Ha! The kid ended up getting sick after all!” The shorter man whooped with glee. “Oh, how the mighty fall!”

He had come this way looking for an encoded message that was supposed to be nearby, but now was beginning to regret it. “It’s nothing that Operation Strix can’t handle.”

“Operation this, Operation that.” Franky jeered, leaning on his elbow. “What about you? Can you handle the diseases of us lowly mortals?” Twilight rolled his eyes.

“How much would it cost to get you to shut up about this?”

“Rubbing it in your face the one time you’re finally wrong? Sorry, my friend, this is priceless!”

By the time Loid got home, he was exhausted and grumpy, though trying to hide it. The groceries were quickly put away and medicine distributed to Anya before he crashed in his armchair. “Are you okay, Loid?” Yor leaned over, a concerned look on her face.

“I’m fine, just a bit… frustrated. Which one of us should stay home to watch Anya?” Without waiting for an answer, his mind began racing through the logistics of either of them. The best case scenario would be Yor staying home, since there was no way WISE would let him take a day off without warning. However, he would prefer to monitor Anya’s condition himself to ensure that it didn’t get worse. For the mission, of course. Although he wasn’t confident in his skills at taking care of a sick child. Yor was far better at it than him, but-

“I have a lot of vacation time saved up, so I can stay home. Oh, but make sure to wash up well and wear a mask! We don’t want you getting your patients sick!” With a sigh, he stood up.

“Alright. But please call my office if anything changes. In fact, I think I’ll come home for lunch today if I can get the time.” Not that he was counting on Handler making that easy. That woman would make the devil ask for a break.

That day was one of the hardest of his career. Not because there were any particularly difficult missions on the docket, but because he spent the whole day worrying about whether Anya was okay. He managed to duck out quickly for his lunch break, and immediately sprinted back to the apartment. Anya napped the entire time that he was there, but that was okay. The important thing was that her body was taking the time it needed to heal. The rest of the workday passed miserably before he could return to his (fake) family.

“Papa is home!” Anya called out softly, a mug of store-bought tea in her hands as he entered the door. “Anya is feeling much better.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Lets have you stay home one more day so that we can make sure, and so that you won’t get any of your classmates sick.” I’ll have to see about picking up any assignments that she missed from the school and spend some extra time mentoring her. Hopefully this won’t affect her academic progress too much. She already struggles so much with studying. Is there a way to make learning more interesting to her? Maybe there are educational board games that could help. I’ll need to stop by the bookstore…

“Papa thinks too much.” Anya mumbled, taking a long sip from her mug.

Chapter Text

Anya had been sick for three days, and by the time she was better, it was the weekend. Needless to say, it was a very stressful time, as Twilight was trying to help Anya cram everything she missed. By Monday, things were back to their usual chaos. Loid was frying up some eggs and bacon for breakfast, and Anya was very grumpily getting ready for school, with Bond circling around her like a very affectionate shark. The only member of the family nowhere to be seen was Yor. It was odd. Like putting on shoes without socks.

“Papa misses Mama.” Anya declared, climbing up to her seat at the table.

“No, I don’t.” he protested. “But it is unusual for her to sleep in so late.” She usually only sleeps in on weekends or days that she has off, neither of which apply to today. The only other times I can recall her being late to breakfast are days that she has to work late nights. Twilight furrowed his brow. Perhaps I relied too heavily on her while Anya was ill, and as a result, she needs some time to rest. I should check on Yor if she doesn’t come to breakfast in the next fifteen minutes. He nodded, content with that conclusion.

Maybe ten minutes would be better.

Or five.

Actually, I’m going to check on her right now. Loid plated up Anya’s food before hanging up his apron and moving down the hall. “Yor?” He knocked gently on the door. “You’re a little late for breakfast, and we’re wondering if you’re alright.” No response. He raised his voice a little. “Yor?”

A faint groan could be heard on the other side. Twilight took a split second to consider if it was an intrusion of her privacy to check on her before deciding to err on the side of caution and enter anyway. Inside, Yor was curled up in the fetal position on her bed, a faint glaze of sweat covering her forehead.

“Yor! Are you okay?” She rolled over, waking up.

“Loid? Is something wrong?”

“I was just worried about you. You didn’t come for breakfast.”

She sat up, burping as she did so. “I think I caught Anya’s stomach bug. I’ll just call out sick to work today. If you wouldn’t mind warming up some broth for me in a thermos, that would be greatly appreciated.”

Twilight was unsure. Anya’s sickness had been extremely difficult to deal with. It seemed irresponsible to leave her all alone, even if she was an adult. What if something happened and there wasn’t anybody to take care of her? His schedule as a spy could sometimes be unpredictable, and it was probably safe to assume that Yuri’s schedule worked the same way. Perhaps when he went in for work, he should ask Nightfall to monitor his office phone line if he left, and alert him to any calls from Yor. Of course, Nightfall had been acting unpredictably when it came to Operation Strix and the key players. If she decided to not forward any messages from Yor-

“-Loid? You’re looking worried again.” Yor’s groggy voice drew him out of his spiraling.

“I was just wondering about asking my boss to let me stay on call if something happens.”

She smiled, shaking her head. “Nothing’s going to happen. I used to take care of myself whenever I got sick before I married you.” Despite this reassurance, his instincts told him that it would be a bad idea to just leave Yor alone.

“Mama’s sick?” Anya asked as he returned to the kitchen.

“Yes, but she’ll be fine soon.” he said, even as his mind raced through worst-case scenarios and the preparations he would have to make to prevent them. He really should talk to Handler about Nightfall’s frustrations with Operation Strix. Her behaviors really made things a lot more difficult.

Anya leveled him with a flat stare. “Anya is hungry. Papa needs to stop thinking so much.” He started serving her breakfast, but continued to strategize as they ate. Breakfast passed, and the little girl left the apartment to catch the bus. Shortly after that, Yor left her room to call into City Hall. And Twilight still couldn’t solve the problem that he had on his hands.

Well, that wasn’t entirely true. He had one solution that didn’t involve sabotaging his career. Call Yuri over. He would absolutely drop everything to take care of his sister. But Twilight disliked that plan. Calling it a Plan B was far too generous.

With time running out and no better ideas, he put some listening devices in key locations throughout the apartment, gave Yor stomach medicine and several thermoses of broth, and then left, planning to check on the bugs throughout the day to make sure that Yor was alright. It felt distasteful, since he had promised he wouldn’t do something like that again, but this was a different situation.

Operation Strix was, by far, the most stressful mission he had ever carried out. Throughout the day as he was hunting down an encoded series of tax documents, he kept checking in on Yor to make sure that she hadn’t fallen violently ill and needed to be taken to the hospital. At one point, he had started listening only to realize that she was taking a personal phone call, and immediately withdrew in an attempt to not violate her privacy further.

He did have to concede that Yor was right in her assertion that she would be fine. She spent the day resting with Bond and drinking the broth that he had warmed up. In fact, aside from frequently going to the restroom (which he did not bug), she barely seemed ill at all. It was a strange thing for Twilight to process as he left the hospital.

Anya was excited when he picked her up from the bus stop. “I made Mama a get well soon card!” she said, waving a monstrosity of craft supplies glued precariously onto a single piece of cardstock.

“It looks very nice, Anya.” he lied. “Remember, Yor isn’t feeling very well, so it would be a good idea to stay quiet when we enter the apartment.” She squinted at him with what looked like a suspicious glare, before making a zipping motion across her mouth.

“Welcome home, you two!” Yor called from her spot on the couch. She was reading a book with a steaming mug of questionable looking tea sitting on the coffee table.

“How was your day? Are you feeling better?” Loid asked while surreptitiously picking up the hidden listening devices. She nodded.

“Yes, I think a day off was exactly what I needed to recover. I should be good to go back to work tomorrow.”

“Are you sure?” How could Yor know if she was fully recovered or not? Didn’t people usually take longer to recover from illnesses? What if she pushed herself too hard and collapsed at work? There was-

Yor put a hand on his wrist and looked him in the eyes. “I’m fine, Loid. You worry so much about everyone. Trust me.” He took a deep breath. Everyone was safe. Everyone was healthy. The worst of the sickness was over.

“Okay. I trust you.”

Chapter Text

It had been a long, exhausting day for Twilight. The State Security Service had been nipping at their tails lately, and WISE had him working overtime to throw them off the trail. Today had had three different disguises and personas that he kept switching between. The stove felt so warm and inviting as the glazed chicken fried in the pan.

“And now Becky’s sick too. Anya thinks that foul foot is at play.”

It took Twilight far too long to realize what was wrong with that sentence. “It’s ‘foul play is afoot’, not… that.” His head felt way too murky to process things. If someone asked him to repeat what he just said, he would not be able to do that. Which was a definite sign that he was getting tired. He’d have to sleep for an extra hour or so to make sure that he was back in top form by the morning.

Somehow, dinner was not as good as Loid usually made it. The chicken burned a bit, and eating felt like a chore. Yor still ate it enthusiastically, a good sign that she was fully recovered from the stomach bug. He would have to be more careful in the future to ensure that the Forgers stayed in peak physical condition. Maybe he could… For some reason, no good ideas came to him. Worrying. Bond whined loudly.

“Papa! Homework!” Anya dragged him from his chair. Wait, dinner’s over? No, focus, Twilight. It’s good that Anya’s… doing… something. Homework. Yes, for the mission. He took a look over her assignment. It was a science report about cause and effect, where balls were dropped down a ramp. The best way for her to get a good grade on this would be…

His stomach felt odd. Maybe he hadn’t eaten enough at dinner? His appetite had been reduced, as was usually the case when he overworked himself. “Excuse me a moment, Anya. How about you start writing out your ideas, and I’ll help you refine them.” He grabbed some hard rolls and sat back down next to the little girl, and looked over her notebook scribblings. It was going to be a long evening.

Even when Loid finally went to bed, the discomfort did not leave him. Several hours passed with him writhing around in his blankets, having absolutely incomprehensible dreams despite it feeling like he never truly fell asleep. At about four in the morning, he finally got up and decided to make himself a cup of tea.

As soon as he stepped out the door, he nearly tripped over Bond, who had been laying in the hall for some reason. “-Gh! What are you doing, boy?” He whispered. The dog tilted his head, whining in response. “I’m just getting some tea. Go lie down.” The normally obedient dog ignored the order and followed him towards the kitchen.

The apartment that Twilight had been living in for months now felt unfamiliar for some strange reason. It was as if he was infiltrating an enemy location with a similar layout. The hallway was longer than usual. The living room furniture was moving around to block his path. Even the kitchen, with every item in it carefully memorized, seemed to belong to a stranger. He dug out the tea kettle, filled it up with water, and waited.

The floor was so blissfully cool against his hot skin.

Loud barks shattered the silence. Why was Bond barking? Was there an intruder? Were Yor and Anya in da-

His stomach lurched, and his mouth began filling with drool. There was a voice, and lights were turning on. He couldn’t concentrate on what they were saying. His guts hurt too much. With a violent twist, he emptied the contents of his stomach across the floor, and the pressure finally subsided.

Gentle hands rubbed him all over his back and shoulders, and a pair of strong arms picked him up. Instinctively, he curled up into the warmth. His sticky pajamas were removed from him, and a wet cloth wiped down his skin. A tiny hand patted his face before new clothes were placed on him and he was bundled up in warm blankets. “Night-night, Papa.” A sleepy voice said.

He wished he could say goodnight back. But he was already falling deep asleep.

As Twilight woke up, he became slowly aware of his surroundings. First, heavy blankets covered his whole body. Somehow, the pressure was pleasant, not claustrophobic. His stomach still felt unsettled, but it wasn’t as painful as it had been the night before. Second, the sound of clattering dishes and splashing filled his ears. It nearly soothed him back to sleep. Finally, he cracked open his eyes to see the living room filled with soft sunlight and Yor standing at the sink, washing dishes.

“Borf!” Bond barked from where he stood guard next to the couch. Yor looked up and met Loid’s eyes.

“Oh! Good morning, Loid. Are you feeling better?”

“A little.” Did I really catch Anya’s sickness? I thought I had better immunity than that. Twilight would have normally explored that train of thought further, but he was far too tired for that. Instead, he curled up further into the blankets, taking bitter note of the barf bucket placed on the floor below.

“I already called the hospital and explained that you wouldn’t be coming in. And as soon as the shops opened up, I bought some pre-made meals so that your stomach won’t get upset from my cooking.” Yor wrung her hands anxiously. “I used to make some homemade tea for Yuri whenever he got sick, but I don’t think that’ll be very helpful now.” She looked so upset about this that Twilight almost wanted to drink some of her tea to make her happy. Almost.

“That’s very kind of you, Yor. I’m not sure if I can eat anything right now, but I’ll let you know when I feel up to it.” He sat up, wincing at the pain from his stomach. “If it’s not too much trouble, could you get me some antacid?” After that, Loid watched as Yor did the dishes and continued to clean around the apartment. There was something about the soft sounds and repetitive motions that soothed his usually busy mind and lulled him back to the comfort of unconsciousness.

That is until the phone began to ring.

“I’ll get it.” Yor assured, as if he was capable of moving from the couch at this point. “Forger residence, how may I help you?” Her brows furrowed as the person on the other side spoke. “No, but I believe that I talked to one of your coworkers this morning? I’m afraid Loid- ah, I mean Dr. Forger is very sick today and will not be able to come in at all.” The person on the other side of the phone clearly didn’t like that answer, and Twilight had a sinking feeling (unrelated to his stomach pains) that he knew who it was as she fumbled through the conversation.

Sure enough, Yor turned from the phone, placing a hand on the receiver. “Um, it’s Miss Frost. She says that there’s a high priority patient that needs to be seen by you.” Twilight groaned, and attempted to get up from the couch but failed.

“Give me a moment. I’ll talk to her.” Once again, he attempted to get up, and then decided halfway through that perhaps it would be a better idea to move to the floor first. Every movement made his empty stomach complain.

“Loid, let me help you.” Without any warning further than that, Yor scooped him up in a perfect bridal carry, and lifted him over to the phone. Her muscles didn’t even seem to strain. For a moment, he couldn’t be bothered to think about the phone. He just stared in awe at this perfect specimen of human strength. For years he had trained to push his body to its absolute limit, and yet somehow, this woman managed to… to… Wow.

“Dr. Forger, we have a patient suffering from severe delusions in need of an intervention.” Nightfall’s cold voice chilled him even through the wiring of the phone. Twilight pinched the bridge of his nose. He was too exhausted to even try and remember the codeset that they had chosen for this cover. Delusions. Was that meant to be classified as drugs/chemical weapons? Or was that a different one? Severe was the modifier, and intervention was-

“Miss Frost, I’ve caught a stomach bug from my daughter and am in no shape to treat anyone today. Either have a different doctor deal with this case, or wait until I am feeling better.”

A sharp exhale could be heard through the receiver. “Dr. Forger, this is a… sensitive case. It would be best if you handled it. I’m sure that whatever illness you have cannot be so bad.”

“That’s not up for you to decide.” he said curtly.

“You’re right. Should I get the Ha- hospital director on the line?”

Twilight took a deep breath, feeling the comforting muscle of Yor supporting him. “Tell the director, in these exact words, that unless a maniac with a weapon is threatening to burn everything down, I am staying home with my wife and sleeping until my stomach stops trying to vacate my body.” With that, he firmly hung up the phone.

Yor looked at him with a shocked expression. “You hung up on your coworker?”

“Fiona is a hard worker with little patience for those who cannot keep up with her standards. I think a reality check from time to time would be good for her.” Loid tried to smile at her, but his energy was drained. He was hungry, he was sleep deprived, and he could still feel his stomach churning, despite there being nothing to eject.

Yor seemed to tell that he was miserable, because she returned him to the couch, and gave him a bowl of luke-warm oatmeal and a glass of juice. The rest of the day passed quietly but miserably. Twilight grew very familiar with their bathroom. He tried to sleep off the stomach pains, Yor providing him some much needed comfort as he suffered.

When Anya came home, instead of her normal noisy entrance, she seemed to realize that it was necessary to be quiet, and tiptoed through the doorway before starting on her homework. Yor started warming up a pre-made rotisserie chicken. Bond lay protectively across Loid’s legs.

Twilight had no desire to be sick ever again. But he wouldn’t mind more sleepy days like today.

Chapter Text

Bond sniffed his food bowl. Something was off. There was some odd smelling debris stuck to the kibble sitting inside. He sniffed it again. It smelled like disease. It smelled like the goo that grew in the edges of the cages that he and his siblings were kept in by the lab scientists.

fzzzt… A quick peer into the future confirmed that eating this would make him violently ill, and require a trip to the vet, something he disliked immensely. With no concern for his food security, he meandered away from the bowl to sit in the warm spot by the window. He had seen enough sickness from his family lately. He would just have to alert the tiny one, Anya. She was the one who seemed to have the most sense around here.